Just found an odd Ruger 22/45. Mark III Hunter and has a Ducks Unlimited logo on the back of the bolt. Comes in a greeen plactic case and model number is 10142 with a catalog number P512HMKIIIDU. Empty case date 5/25/2010. Odd that DU would use a .22 pistol. This is the first one I have ever seen

Quite often, organizations like DU, RMEF, NRA, NWTF etc get guns in a package that is done just for them. While the "logic" of a 22 semi pistol for a DU event seems a bit odd, it does happen more than you think. I'd say it's legit!

Find a state or regional DU chapter rep. Ask him what year they were done, & then ask how many were done for DU that year. The reps are the ones who head up the banquets over a district. I know that the NRA has XXX number of events annually. If it's a "regular package item" you will get production numbers by the number of events held that year. But,, usually, if the plan is for 1000 events,, there are usually several more made to make sure they have enough for all events & the occasional "issue" problem. Usually only 25 extra guns done. So, if there were 1000 events that year, most likely around 1025 guns done.

This is definitely a Ruger produced item, as the unique model number and catalog number on the end of the box are different than any other regular Ruger item.Often times, organizations purchase a group of a particular model from a distributor and then have them all dolled up, but in a case like that the "extras" were not factory authorized.In the case of this DU pistol, it is all Ruger, and a rare one apparently since it went unnoticed for three years!!Chet15

Hi there. I stumbled across this post while I was looking for info on MY Ducks Unlimited 22/45. I joined the forum specifically to respond. My tag says catalog #P512HMKIIIDU and model #10142. My spent casing is dated 5/28/2010. I purchased mine from Cabela's in Sidney, NE just this year in the gun library as "pre-owned" and was told it was a SHOT Show gun. But the Ducks Unlimited connection makes me question that. From what I gather on the Ruger website the fluted-barrel 22/45 Targets are a "distributor exclusive" for Davidson's. Anyway, I just wanted to pass along that there's at least ONE more gun like yours out here in circulation. I don't shoot mine often and I kind of bought it on a whim but I think I'll hold onto it.

"According to a contact from Davidson's, there were only 362 of the DU pistol made between August 2011 and June 2013.Info recently printed in the August Red Eagle News Exchange.Chet15"

That's strange because the fired case envelope in the case with mine is dated May of 2010. Maybe mine is the "prototype" and worth even more, lol. Or maybe they just pulled some earlier production pistols off the shelf and etched the slides and produced a new catalog number for them and therefore they have a later "production" date. Or maybe only the barrels themselves are test-fired before the gun is fully assembled to avoid dirtying up the whole gun during test firing.